Arylsulfonanilide ureas

ABSTRACT

The invention provides compounds, compositions and methods relating to novel arylsulfonanilide derivatives and their use as pharmacologically active agents. The compositions find particular use as pharmacological agents in the treatment of disease states, particularly cancer, psoriasis, vascular restenosis, infections, atherosclerosis and hypercholesterolemia, or as lead compounds for the development of such agents.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/792,669,filed Feb. 21, 2001, now U.S. Pat No. 6,583,165 which is a divisional ofapplication Ser. No. 09/399,907, filed Sep. 21, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No.6,214,880 which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/100,888, filed Sep. 23, 1998, the disclosures of each beingincorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to arylsulfonanilide ureas and their useas pharmacologically active agents capable of lowering plasmacholesterol levels and inhibiting abnormal cell proliferation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A number of arylsulfonamides have recently been described for thetreatment of disorders and conditions arising from abnormal cellproliferation and from elevated plasma cholesterol levels. See, forexample, PCT publications WO 97/30677 and WO 98/05315.

Most prevalent among diseases stemming from abnormal cell proliferationis cancer, a generic name for a wide range of cellular malignanciescharacterized by unregulated growth, lack of differentiation, and theability to invade local tissues and metastasize. These neoplasticmalignancies affect, with various degrees of prevalence, every tissueand organ in the body. A multitude of therapeutic agents have beendeveloped over the past few decades for the treatment of various typesof cancer. The most commonly used types of anticancer agents include:DNA-alkylating agents (e.g., cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide),antimetabolites (e.g., methotrexate, a folate antagonist, and5-fluorouracil, a pyrimidine antagonist), microtubule disruptors (e.g.,vincristine, vinblastine, paclitaxel), DNA intercalators (e.g.,doxorubicin, daunomycin, cisplatin), and hormone therapy (e.g.,tamoxifen, flutamide). The ideal antineoplastic drug would kill cancercells selectively, with a wide therapeutic index relative to itstoxicity towards non-malignant cells. It would also retain its efficacyagainst malignant cells, even after prolonged exposure to the drug.Unfortunately, none of the current chemotherapies possess an idealprofile. Most possess very narrow therapeutic indexes and, inpractically every instance, cancerous cells exposed to slightlysublethal concentrations of a chemotherapeutic agent will developresistance to such an agent, and quite often cross-resistance to severalother antineoplastic agents.

Psoriasis, a common chronic skin disease characterized by the presenceof dry scales and plaques, is generally thought to be the result ofabnormal cell proliferation. The disease results from hyperproliferationof the epidermis and incomplete differentiation of keratinocytes.Psoriasis often involves the scalp, elbows, knees, back, buttocks,nails, eyebrows, and genital regions, and may range in severity frommild to extremely debilitating, resulting in psoriatic arthritis,pustular psoriasis, and exfoliative psoriatic dermatitis. No therapeuticcure exists for psoriasis. Milder cases are often treated with topicalcorticosteroids, but more severe cases may be treated withantiproliferative agents, such as the antimetabolite methotrexate, theDNA synthesis inhibitor hydroxyurea, and the microtubule disruptercolchicine.

Other diseases associated with an abnormally high level of cellularproliferation include restenosis, where vascular smooth muscle cells areinvolved, inflammatory disease states, where endothelial cells,inflammatory cells and glomerular cells are involved, myocardialinfarction, where heart muscle cells are involved, glomerular nephritis,where kidney cells are involved, transplant rejection, where endothelialcells are involved, infectious diseases such as HIV infection andmalaria, where certain immune cells and/or other infected cells areinvolved, and the like. Infectious and parasitic agents per se (e.g.bacteria, trypanosomes, fungi, etc) are also subject to selectiveproliferative control using the subject compositions and compounds.

Psoriasis, a common chronic skin disease characterized by the presenceof dry scales and plaques, is generally thought to be the result ofabnormal cell proliferation. The disease results from hyperproliferationof the epidermis and incomplete differentiation of keratinocytes.Psoriasis often involves the scalp, elbows, knees, back, buttocks,nails, eyebrows, and genital regions, and may range in severity frommild to extremely debilitating, resulting in psoriatic arthritis,pustular psoriasis, and exfoliative psoriatic dermatitis. Notherapeutic, cure exists for psoriasis. Milder cases are often treatedwith topical corticosteroids, but more severe cases may be treated withantiproliferative agents, such as the antimetabolite methotrexate, theDNA synthesis inhibitor hydroxyurea, and the microtubule disruptercolchicine.

Other diseases associated with an abnormally high level of cellularproliferation include restenosis, where vascular smooth muscle cells areinvolved, inflammatory disease states, where endothelial cells,inflammatory cells and glomerular cells are involved, myocardialinfarction, where heart muscle cells are involved, glomerular nephritis,where kidney cells are involved, transplant rejection, where endothelialcells are involved, infectious diseases such as HIV infection andmalaria, where certain immune cells and/or other infected cells areinvolved, and the like. Infectious and parasitic agents per se (e.g.bacteria, trypanosomes, fungi, etc) are also subject to selectiveproliferative control using the subject compositions and compounds.

Psoriasis, a common chronic skin disease characterized by the presenceof dry scales and plaques, is generally thought to be the result ofabnormal cell proliferation. The disease results from hyperproliferationof the epidermis and incomplete differentiation of keratinocytes.Psoriasis often involves the scalp, elbows, knees, back, buttocks,nails, eyebrows, and genital regions, and may range in severity frommild to extremely debilitating, resulting in psoriatic arthritis,pustular psoriasis, and exfoliative psoriatic dermatitis. No therapeuticcure exists for psoriasis. Milder cases are often treated with topicalcorticosteroids, but more severe cases may be treated withantiproliferative agents, such as the antimetabolite methotrexate, theDNA synthesis inhibitor hydroxyurea, and the microtubule disruptercolchicine.

Other diseases associated with an abnormally high level of cellularproliferation include restenosis, where vascular smooth muscle cells areinvolved, inflammatory disease states, where endothelial cells,inflammatory cells and glomerular cells are involved, myocardialinfarction, where heart muscle cells are involved, glomerular nephritis,where kidney cells are involved, transplant rejection, where endothelialcells are involved, infectious diseases such as HIV infection andmalaria, where certain immune cells and/or other infected cells areinvolved, and the like. Infectious and parasitic agents per se (e.g.bacteria, trypanosomes, fungi, etc) are also subject to selectiveproliferative control using the subject compositions and compounds.

Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to providecompounds which directly or indirectly are toxic to actively dividingcells and are useful in the treatment of cancer, viral and bacterialinfections, vascular restenosis, inflammatory diseases, autoimmunediseases, and psoriasis.

A further object of the present invention is to provide therapeuticcompositions for treating the conditions described herein.

Still further objects are to provide methods for killing activelyproliferating cells, such as cancerous, bacterial, or epithelial cells,and treating all types of cancers, infections, inflammatory, andgenerally proliferative conditions. A further object is to providemethods for treating other medical conditions characterized by thepresence of rapidly proliferating cells, such as psoriasis and otherskin disorders.

Additional objects, features and advantages will become apparent tothose skilled in the art from the following description and claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides novel arylsulfonanilide compounds, as well asmethods and compositions relating to novel arylsulfonanilide ureas andtheir use as pharmacologically active agents. The compounds andcompositions find use as pharmacological agents in the treatment ofdisease states, particularly hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis,cancer, bacterial infections, and psoriasis, or as lead compounds forthe development of such agents. The compounds of the invention have theformula:

or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

In the formula above, X represents an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom or NH,preferably oxygen.

The letter Y represents hydrogen, a heterocyclic ring, (C₁–C₈)alkyl,(C₁–C₈)heteroalkyl, aryl, aryl(C₁–C₄)alkyl, aryl(C₁–C₄)heteroalkyl,heteroaryl(C₁–C₄)alkyl, heteroaryl(C₁–C₄)heteroalkyl, or is optionallylinked together with R³ to form a 5-, 6- or 7-membered heterocyclic ringwhich can be aromatic or non-aromatic.

The symbols R¹, R² and R³ each independently represent hydrogen,(C₁–C₆)alkyl or (C₁–C₆)heteroalkyl. Additionally, as noted above, insome embodiments R³ is combined with Y and the adjacent nitrogen atom toform a heterocyclic ring. The symbol R⁴ represents hydrogen, halogen,(C₁–C₈)alkyl, (C₁–C₈)heteroalkyl, —OR¹¹, —SR¹¹ and —NR¹¹ R¹², whereinR¹¹ and R¹² are each independently hydrogen, (C₁–C₈)alkyl or(C₁–C₈)heteroalkyl.

The symbol Ar represents a substituted aryl group selected from

in which X¹ and X² are each independently F, Cl or Br.

The methods of the present invention use pharmaceutical compositionscontaining compounds of the foregoing description of the general FormulaI for the treatment of pathology such as cancer, bacterial infections,psoriasis, hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis, pancreatitis, andhyperlipoproteinemia. Briefly, the inventions involve administering to apatient an effective formulation of one or more of the subjectcompositions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Not applicable

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Definitions

The term “alkyl,” by itself or as part of another substituent, means,unless otherwise stated, a straight or branched chain, or cyclichydrocarbon radical, or combination thereof, which may be fullysaturated, mono- or polyunsaturated and can include di- andmulti-radicals, having the number of carbon atoms designated (i.e.C₁–C₁₀ means one to ten carbons). Examples of saturated hydrocarbonradicals include groups such as methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl,n-butyl, t-butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, cyclohexyl, (cyclohexyl)methyl,cyclopropylmethyl, homologs and isomers of, for example, n-pentyl,n-hexyl, n-heptyl, n-octyl, and the like. An unsaturated alkyl group isone having one or more double bonds or triple bonds. Examples ofunsaturated alkyl groups include vinyl, 2-propenyl, crotyl,2-isopentenyl, 2-(butadienyl), 2,4-pentadienyl, 3-(1,4-pentadienyl),ethynyl, 1- and 3-propynyl, 3-butynyl, and the higher homologs andisomers. The term “alkyl,” unless otherwise noted, is also meant toinclude those derivatives of alkyl defined in more detail below as“cycloalkyl” and “alkylene.” The term “alkylene” by itself or as part ofanother substituent means a divalent radical derived from an alkane, asexemplified by —CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂—. Typically, an alkyl group will have from1 to 24 carbon atoms, with those groups having 10 or fewer carbon atomsbeing preferred in the present invention. A “lower alkyl” or “loweralkylene” is a shorter chain alkyl or alkylene group, generally havingeight or fewer carbon atoms.

The term “alkoxy,” employed alone or in combination with other termsmeans, unless otherwise stated, an alkyl group, as defined above,connected to the remainder of the molecule via an oxygen atom, such as,for example, methoxy, ethoxy, 1-propoxy, 2-propoxy and the higherhomologs and isomers.

The term “thioalkoxy,” employed alone or in combination with other termsmeans, unless otherwise stated, an alkyl group, as defined above,connected to the remainder of the molecule via a sulfur atom, such as,for example, thiomethoxy (methylthio), thioethoxy (ethylthio),1-thiopropoxy, 2-thiopropoxy and the higher homologs and isomers.

The term “heteroalkyl,” by itself or in combination with another term,means, unless otherwise stated, a stable straight or branched chain, orcyclic hydrocarbon radical, or combinations thereof, which may be fullysaturated, mono- or polyunsaturated and can include di- andmulti-radicals, consisting of the stated number of carbon atoms and fromone to three heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of O, N, Siand S, and wherein the nitrogen and sulfur atoms may optionally beoxidized and the nitrogen heteroatom may optionally be quatemized. Theheteroatom(s) O, N and S may be placed at any interior position of theheteroalkyl group. The heteroatom Si may be placed at any position ofthe heteroalkyl group, including the position at which the alkyl groupis attached to the remainder of the molecule. Examples include—CH₂—CH₂—O—CH₃, —CH₂—CH₂—NH—CH₃, —CH₂—CH₂—N(CH₃)—CH₃, —CH₂—S—CH₂—CH₃,—CH₂—CH₂—S(O)—CH₃, —CH₂—CH₂—S(O)₂—CH₃, —CH═CH—O—CH₃, —Si(CH₃)₃,—CH₂—CH═N—OCH₃, and —CH═CH—N(CH₃)—CH₃. Up to two heteroatoms may beconsecutive, such as, for example, —CH₂—NH—OCH₃ and —CH₂—O—Si(CH₃)₃.Also included in the term “heteroalkyl” are those radicals described inmore detail below as “heteroalkylene” and “heterocycloalkyl.” The term“heteroalkylene” by itself or as part of another substituent means adivalent radical derived from heteroalkyl, as exemplified by—CH₂—CH₂—S—CH₂CH₂— and —CH₂—S—CH₂—CH₂—NH—CH₂—. For heteroalkylenegroups, heteroatoms can also occupy either or both of the chain termini.Still fuirther, for alkylene and heteroalkylene linking groups, as wellas all other linking groups described herein, no specific orientation ofthe linking group is implied.

The terms “cycloalkyl” and “heterocycloalkyl”, by themselves or incombination with other terms, represent, unless otherwise stated, cyclicversions of “alkyl” and “heteroalkyl” respectively. Additionally, forheterocycloalkyl, a heteroatom can occupy the position at which theheterocycle is attached to the remainder of the molecule. Examples ofcycloalkyl include cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, 1-cyclohexenyl,3-cyclohexenyl, cycloheptyl, and the like. Examples of heterocycloalkylinclude 1-(1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridyl), 1-piperidinyl, 2-piperidinyl,3-piperidinyl, 4-morpholinyl, 3-morpholinyl, tetrahydrofuran-2-yl,tetrahydrofuran-3-yl, tetrahydrothien-2-yl, tetrahydrothien-3-yl,1-piperazinyl, 2-piperazinyl, and the like.

The terms “halo” or “halogen,” by themselves or as part of anothersubstituent, mean, unless otherwise stated, a fluorine, chlorine,bromine, or iodine atom.

The term “aryl,” employed alone or in combination with other terms(e.g., aryloxy, arylthioxy, arylalkyl) means, unless otherwise stated,an aromatic substituent which can be a single ring or multiple rings (upto three rings) which are fused together or linked covalently. The ringsmay each contain from zero to four heteroatoms selected from N, O, andS, wherein the nitrogen and sulfur atoms are optionally oxidized, andthe nitrogen atom(s) are optionally quatemized. The aryl groups thatcontain heteroatoms may be referred to as “heteroaryl” and can beattached to the remainder of the molecule through a carbon atom or aheteroatom. Non-limiting examples of aryl groups include phenyl,1-naphthyl, 2-naphthyl, 4-biphenyl, 1-pyrrolyl, 2-pyrrolyl, 3-pyrrolyl,3-pyrazolyl, 2-imidazolyl, 4-imidazolyl, pyrazinyl, 2-oxazolyl,4-oxazolyl, 5-oxazolyl, 3-isoxazolyl, 4-isoxazolyl, 5-isoxazolyl,2-thiazolyl, 4-thiazolyl, 5-thiazolyl, 2-furyl, 3-furyl, 2-thienyl,3-thienyl, 2-pyridyl, 3-pyridyl, 4-pyridyl, 2-pyrimidyl, 4-pyrimidyl,5-benzothiazolyl, purinyl, 2-benzimidazolyl, 5-indolyl, 1-isoquinolyl,5-isoquinolyl, 2-quinoxalinyl, 5-quinoxalinyl, 3-quinolyl, and6-quinolyl. Substituents for each of the above noted aryl ring systemsare selected from the group of acceptable substituents described below.

The terms “arylalkyl” and “arylheteroalkyl” are meant to include thoseradicals in which an aryl group is attached to an alkyl group (e.g.,benzyl, phenethyl, pyridylmethyl and the like) or a heteroalkyl group(e.g., phenoxymethyl, 2-pyridyloxymethyl, 1-naphthyloxy-3-propyl, andthe like). The arylalkyl and arylheteroalkyl groups will typicallycontain from 1 to 3 aryl moieties attached to the alkyl or heteroalkylportion by a covalent bond or by fusing the ring to, for example, acycloalkyl or heterocycloalkyl group. For arylheteroalkyl groups, aheteroatom can occupy the position at which the group is attached to theremainder of the molecule. For example, the term “arylheteroalkyl” ismeant to include benzyloxy, 2-phenylethoxy, phenethylamine, and thelike.

As used herein, the term “heterocycle” refers to any ring having atleast one heteroatom ring member. The term is meant to be inclusive ofboth heterocycloalkyl groups, heteroaryl groups and other rings havingone or more heteroatoms and optionally one or more unsaturated bonds(typically, a double bond). In addition to the examples provided abovefor heterocycloalkyl and heteroaryl groups, the term “heterocycle”includes 1,2,4-triazolyl, 1,3,4-thiadiazolyl, pyrazolyl,1,2,3,4-tetrazolyl and 1,2,3-triazolyl. As with heteroaryl groups,heterocyclic groups can be attached to the remainder of the moleculethrough either a carbon atom or a heteroatom ring member.

Each of the above terms (e.g., “alkyl,” “heteroalkyl,” “aryl” and“heterocycle”) is meant to include both substituted and unsubstitutedforms of the indicated radical. Preferred substituents for each type ofradical are provided below.

Substituents for the alkyl and heteroalkyl radicals (including thosegroups often referred to as alkylene, alkenyl, heteroalkylene,heteroalkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, andheterocycloalkenyl) can be a variety of groups selected from: —OR′, ═O,═NR′, ═N—OR′, —NR′R″, —SR′, -halogen, —SiR′R″R′″, —OC(O)R′, —CO₂R′,—CONR′R″, —OC(O)NR′R″, —NR″C(O)R′, —NR″C(O)₂R′, —NH—C(NH₂)═NH,—NR′C(NH₂)═NH, —NH—C(NH₂)═NR′, —S(O)R′, —S(O)₂R′, —S(O)₂NR′R″, —CN and—NO₂ in a number ranging from zero to (2N+1), where N is the totalnumber of carbon atoms in such radical. R′, R″ and R′″ eachindependently refer to hydrogen, unsubstituted(C₁–C₈)alkyl andheteroalkyl, unsubstituted aryl, aryl substituted with 1–3 halogens,unsubstituted alkyl, alkoxy or thioalkoxy groups, or aryl-(C₁–C₄)alkylgroups. When R′ and R″ are attached to the same nitrogen atom, they canbe combined with the nitrogen atom to form a 5-, 6-, or 7-membered ring.For example, —NR′R″ is meant to include 1-pyrrolidinyl and4-morpholinyl.

Similarly, substituents for the aryl groups are varied and are selectedfrom: -halogen, —OR′, —OC(O)R′, —NR′R″, —SR′, —R′, —CN, —NO₂, —CO₂R′,—CONR′R″, —OC(O)NR′R″, —NR″C(O)R′, —NR″C(O)₂R′, —NH—C(NH₂)═NH,—NR′C(NH₂)═NH, —NH—C(NH₂)═NR′, —S(O)R′, —S(O)₂R′, —S(O)₂NR′R″, —N₃,—CH(Ph)₂, perfluoro(C₁–C₄)alkoxy, and perfluoro(C₁–C₄)alkyl, in a numberranging from zero to the total number of open valences on the aromaticring system; and where R′ and R″ are independently selected fromhydrogen, (C₁–C₈)alkyl and heteroalkyl, unsubstituted aryl,(unsubstituted aryl)-(C₁–C₄)alkyl, and (unsubstitutedaryl)oxy-(C₁–C₄)alkyl.

Two of the substituents on adjacent atoms of the aryl ring mayoptionally be replaced with a substituent of the formula—T—C(O)—(CH₂)_(q)—U—, wherein T and U are independently —NH—, —O—, —CH₂—or a single bond, and q is an integer of from 0 to 2. Alternatively, twoof the substituents on adjacent atoms of the aryl ring may optionally bereplaced with a substituent of the formula —A—(CH₂)_(r)—B—, wherein Aand B are independently —CH₂—, —O—, —NH—, —S—, —S(O)—, —S(O)₂—,—S(O)₂NR′— or a single bond, and r is an integer of from 1 to 3. One ofthe single bonds of the new ring so formed may optionally be replacedwith a double bond. Alternatively, two of the substituents on adjacentatoms of the aryl ring may optionally be replaced with a substituent ofthe formula —(CH₂)_(s)—X—(CH₂)_(t)—, where s and t are independentlyintegers of from 0 to 3, and X is —O—, —NR′—, —S—, —S(O)—, —S(O)₂—, or—S(O)₂NR′—. The substituent R′ in —NR′— and —S(O)₂NR′— is selected fromhydrogen or unsubstituted (C₁–C₆)alkyl.

As used herein, the term “heteroatom” is meant to include oxygen (O),nitrogen (N), sulfur (S) and silicon (Si).

The term “pharmaceutically acceptable salts” is meant to include saltsof the active compounds which are prepared with relatively nontoxicacids or bases, depending on the particular substituents found on thecompounds described herein. When compounds of the present inventioncontain relatively acidic ftunctionalities, base addition salts can beobtained by contacting the neutral form of such compounds with asufficient amount of the desired base, either neat or in a suitableinert solvent. Examples of pharmaceutically acceptable base additionsalts include sodium, potassium, calcium, ammonium, organic amino, ormagnesium salt, or a similar salt. When compounds of the presentinvention contain relatively basic finctionalities, acid addition saltscan be obtained by contacting the neutral form of such compounds with asufficient amount of the desired acid, either neat or in a suitableinert solvent. Examples of pharmaceutically acceptable acid additionsalts include those derived from inorganic acids like hydrochloric,hydrobromic, nitric, carbonic, monohydrogencarbonic, phosphoric,monohydrogenphosphoric, dihydrogenphosphoric, sulfuric,monohydrogensulfuric, hydriodic, or phosphorous acids and the like, aswell as the salts derived from relatively nontoxic organic acids likeacetic, propionic, isobutyric, oxalic, maleic, malonic, benzoic,succinic, suberic, fumaric, mandelic, phthalic, benzenesulfonic,p-tolylsulfonic, citric, tartaric, methanesulfonic, and the like. Alsoincluded are salts of amino acids such as arginate and the like, andsalts of organic acids like glucuronic or galactunoric acids and thelike (see, for example, Berge, S. M., et al, “Pharmaceutical Salts”,Journal of Pharmaceutical Science, 1977, 66, 1–19). Certain specificcompounds of the present invention contain both basic and acidicftnctionalities that allow the compounds to be converted into eitherbase or acid addition salts.

The neutral forms of the compounds may be regenerated by contacting thesalt with a base or acid and isolating the parent compound in theconventional manner. The parent form of the compound differs from thevarious salt forms in certain physical properties, such as solubility inpolar solvents, but otherwise the salts are equivalent to the parentform of the compound for the purposes of the present invention.

In addition to salt forms, the present invention provides compoundswhich are in a prodrug form. Prodrugs of the compounds described hereinare those compounds that readily undergo chemical changes underphysiological conditions to provide a compound of formula I.Additionally, prodrugs can be converted to the compounds of the presentinvention by chemical or biochemical methods in an ex vivo environment.For example, prodrugs can be slowly converted to the compounds of thepresent invention when placed in a transdermal patch reservoir with asuitable enzyme.

Certain compounds of the present invention can exist in unsolvated formsas well as solvated forms, including hydrated forms. In general, thesolvated forms are equivalent to unsolvated forms and are intended to beencompassed within the scope of the present invention. Certain compoundsof the present invention may exist in multiple crystalline or amorphousforms. In general, all physical forms are equivalent for the usescontemplated by the present invention and are intended to be within thescope of the present invention.

Certain compounds of the present invention possess asymmetric carbonatoms (optical centers) or double bonds; the racemates, diastereomers,geometric isomers and individual isomers are all intended to beencompassed within the scope of the present invention.

The compounds of the present invention may also contain unnaturalproportions of atomic isotopes at one or more of the atoms thatconstitute such compounds. For example, the compounds may beradiolabeled with radioactive isotopes, such as for example tritium(³H), iodine-125 (¹²⁵I) or carbon-14 (¹⁴C). All isotopic variations ofthe compounds of the present invention, whether radioactive or not, areintended to be encompassed within the scope of the present invention.

General

The compounds described herein are related to compounds provided in PCTpublications WO 97/30677 and WO 98/05315, and to compounds provided inco-pending application Ser. No. 08/917,025 (filed Aug. 22, 1997) andapplication Ser. No. 60/090,681. More particularly, compounds are nowdescribed in which a urea or substituted urea, thiourea or substitutedthiourea, or guanidine or substituted guanidine moiety is attached to anarylsulfonamidobenzene.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides novel arylsulfonanilide derivativeshaving the formula:

or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

In the above formula, the letter X represents O, S, or NH, preferably O.The letter Y represents hydrogen, a heterocyclic ring, (C₁–C₈)alkyl,(C₁–C₈)heteroalkyl, aryl, aryl(C₁–C₄)alkyl, aryl(C₁–C₄)heteroalkyl,heteroaryl(C₁–C₄)alkyl or heteroaryl(C₁–C₄)heteroalkyl. Optionally, Y islinked together with R³ to form a 5-, 6- or 7-membered heterocyclicring.

In one group of preferred embodiments, Y is a substituted orunsubstituted (C₁–C₈)alkyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted(C₁–C₈)heteroalkyl. Preferably, Y is selected from 2-methoxyethyl,2-hydroxyethyl, 2,3-dihydroxypropyl and 3-hydroxypropyl.

In another group of preferred embodiments, Y is a substituted orunsubstituted heterocycle (e.g., 2-thiadiazolyl, 5-tetrazolyl,2-thiazolyl, and the like) or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group.

In yet another group of preferred embodiments, Y is a substituted orunsubstituted aryl(C₁–C₄)alkyl, aryl(C₁–C₄)heteroalkyl,heteroaryl(C₁–C₄)alkyl or heteroaryl(C₁–C₄)heteroalkyl group. Example ofthese groups include benzyl, phenethyl, furfurylmethyl, furfurylethyl,thienylmethyl, thienylethyl and the like. A particularly preferredmember of this group of embodiments is 2-furfurylmethyl.

In still another group of preferred embodiments, Y is combined with R³and the nitrogen atom to which each is attached to form a heterocyclicring, preferably monocyclic and having five or six ring vertices. Theheterocyclic ring formed by Y, N and R³ can be substituted orunsubstituted. Examples of such rings include 3-aminopyrazole,3-amino-1,2,4-triazole, and 4-morpholine. Particularly preferred are the3-amino-1,2,4-triazole ring and the 3-aminopyrazole ring.

Returning to the general formula above, the symbols R¹ and R² are eachindependently hydrogen, (C₁–C₆)alkyl or (C₁–C₆)heteroalkyl. Preferably,R¹ and R² are each independently hydrogen or (C₁–C₄)alkyl. Morepreferably, R¹ and R² are both hydrogen.

The symbol R³ represents hydrogen, (C₁–C₆)alkyl or (C₁–C₆)heteroalkyl,or can be combined with Y as described above to form a heterocyclicring. Preferably, R³ is hydrogen or is combined with Y to form a five-or six-membered heterocyclic ring.

The symbol R⁴ represents hydrogen, halogen, (C₁–C₈)alkyl,(C₁–C₈)heteroalkyl, —OR¹¹, —SR¹¹ or —NR¹¹R¹², wherein R¹¹ and R¹² areeach independently hydrogen, (C₁–C₈)alkyl or (C₁–C₈)heteroalkyl. Inpreferred embodiments, R⁴ is attached to the position para to thesulfonamide group (and ortho to the urea). Particularly preferred arethose embodiments in which R⁴ is hydrogen, (C₁–C₃)alkyl or(C₁–C₃)alkoxy, more preferably (C₁–C₃)alkoxy.

The symbol Ar represents a substituted aryl group selected from

in which X¹ and X² are each independently F, Cl or Br. In one group ofpreferred embodiments, Ar is pentafluorophenyl. In another group ofpreferred embodiments, Ar is 2,3,4,5-tetrafluorophenyl. In yet anothergroup of preferred embodiments, Ar is 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl. In stillanother group of preferred embodiments, Ar is3-methoxy-4,5-methylenedioxyphenyl.

Certain combinations of the above preferred embodiments are particularlypreferred. In a first group of preferred embodiments, the compounds havethe formula:

In this group of embodiments, R⁴ is preferably hydrogen, (C₁–C₃)alkyl,(C₁–C₃)alkoxy or (C₁–C₃)thioalkoxy, more preferably, methyl, methoxy,ethoxy or thiomethoxy. Y is preferably hydrogen, a heterocyclic ring,(C₁–C₈)alkyl, (C₁–C₈)heteroalkyl, aryl or aryl(C₁–C₄)alkyl, mostpreferably hydrogen.

In another group of preferred embodiments, the compounds have theformula:

In this group of embodiments, R⁴ is the same as described for formulaIa. R³ and Y are preferably combined to form a substituted orunsubstituted heterocyclic ring. Preferred groups for the ring definedby R³, Y and the nitrogen to which each is attached include3-amino-pyrazole, 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole, and 4-morpholine.Synthesis

Compounds of the present invention can be prepared using certainintermediates and methods described in WO 97/30677 and WO 98/05315. Inone group of embodiments, arylsulfonamidoanilines can be prepared asdescribed, and the anilino amino group can then be acylated with anappropriate isocyanate derivative using conventional methods. Forexample, 2-methoxy-5-pentafluorophenylsulfonamidoaniline can be treatedwith an isocyanate (e.g., ethyl isocyanatoacetate, potassium isocyanate,and the like) to form compounds of the present invention (see, Examples5 and 6). In a similar manner, additional compounds can be formedbeginning with the appropriate aniline derivative. Using thioisocyanatesin place of isocyanates allows for the synthesis of the correspondingthioureas. A general scheme for the preparation of ureas and thioureasusing isocyanates and thioisocyanates, respectively, is provided inScheme 1, which further illustrates the preparation of guanidinederivatives from a thiourea.

As shown in Scheme 1, an arylsulfonamidoaniline i can be treated with anisocyanate in the presence of base to form ureas ii of the presentinvention. The bases used act as acid scavenger and are typicallytertiary amine bases such as triethylamine, diethylisopropylamine,N-methylmorpholine, pyridine and the like. Similarly, treatment of iwith an appropriate isothiocyanate provides target thioureas iii.Conversion of iii to guanidines iv can be accomplished by treating iiiwith methyl iodide to form a corresponding S-methyl isothiourea, whichcan be treated with ammonium hydroxide to form the correspondingguanidine compound iv.

Alternatively, anilines such as2-methoxy-5-pentafluorophenylsulfonamidoaniline can be treated withtriphosgene and a suitable amine in the presence of an acid scavenger toprovide ureas of the present invention (see Examples 7 and 8). A similarreaction with thiophosgene allows the synthesis of correspondingthioureas. These approaches are illustrated in Scheme 2.

Still other methods of preparation are provided in Scheme 3. The methodspresented in this scheme are typically employed when the Ar group isincompatible with the conditions for urea, thiourea and guanidinesynthesis. Accordingly, treatment of a suitable nitroaniline derivativev with either an isocyanate or an isothiocyanate provides vi or viii,respectively. Reduction of the nitro group present in vi and viii can beaccomplished using either hydrogenation with a palladium on charcoalcatalyst (for vi) or tin chloride and HCl (for vi or viii). Theanilines, thus produced (vii and ix) can each be sulfonylated with anappropriate aryl sulfonyl chloride (ArSO₂Cl) in the presence of an acidscavenging base. Additionally, ix can be converted to a guanidinederivative x using methyl iodide and ammonia (similar to the methoddescribed in Scheme 1). Conversion of x to the target compounds iv isaccomplished by treating the aniline x with an aryl sulfonyl chloride.

The compounds used as initial starting materials in this invention maybe purchased from commercial sources or, alternatively, can be readilysynthesized by standard procedures which are well known to those ofordinary skill in the art.

Some of the compounds of Formula I may exist as stereoisomers, and theinvention includes all active stereoisomeric forms of these compounds.In the case of optically active isomers, such compounds may be obtainedfrom corresponding optically active precursors using the proceduresdescribed above or by resolving racemic mixtures. The resolution may becarried out using various techniques such as chromatography, repeatedrecrystallization of derived asymmetric salts, or derivatization, whichtechniques are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

The compounds of the invention may be labeled in a variety of ways. Forexample, the compounds may contain radioactive isotopes such as, forexample, ³H (tritium) and ¹⁴C (carbon-14). Similarly, the compounds maybe advantageously joined, covalently or noncovalently, directly orthrough a linker molecule, to a wide variety of other compounds, whichmay provide pro-drugs or function as carriers, labels, adjuvents,coactivators, stabilizers, etc. Such labeled and joined compounds arecontemplated within the present invention.

Analysis of Compounds

Representative compounds and compositions were demonstrated to havepharmacological activity in in vitro assays, e.g., they are capable ofspecifically modulating a cellular physiology to reduce an associatedpathology or provide or enhance a prophylaxis.

Certain preferred compounds and compositions are capable of specificallyregulating LDL receptor gene expression. Compounds may be evaluated invitro for their ability to increase LDL receptor expression usingwestern-blot analysis, for example, as described in Tam et al. (J. Biol.Chem. 1991, 266, 16764). Established animal models to evaluatehypocholesterolemic effects of compounds are known in the art. See, forexample, Spady et al., J. Clin. Invest. 1988, 81, 300, Evans et al., J.Lipid Res. 1994, 35, 1634 and Lin et al., J. Med. Chem. 1995, 38, 277.

Certain preferred compounds and compositions display specific toxicityto various types of cells. Certain compounds and compositions of thepresent invention exert their cytotoxic effects by interacting withcellular tubulin. For certain preferred compounds and compositions ofthe present invention, that interaction is covalent and irreversible.Other compounds bind in a non-covalent manner. Compounds andcompositions may be evaluated in vitro for their ability to inhibit cellgrowth, for example, as described in Ahmed et al., J. Immunol. Methods1994, 170, 211. Established animal models to evaluate antiproliferativeeffects of compounds are also known in the art. For example, compoundscan be evaluated for their ability to inhibit the growth of human tumorsgrafted into immunodeficient mice using methodology similar to thatdescribed by Rygaard and Povlsen, Acta Pathol. Microbiol. Scand. 1969,77, 758, and Giovanella and Fogh, Adv. Cancer Res. 1985, 44, 69.

Formulation and Administration of Compounds and PharmaceuticalCompositions

The present invention provides methods of using the subject compoundsand compositions to treat disease or provide medicinal prophylaxis, toslow down and/or reduce the growth of tumors, to upregulate LDL receptorgene expression in a cell, or to reduce blood cholesterol concentrationin a host, etc. These methods generally involve contacting the cell withor administering to the host an effective amount of the subjectcompounds or pharmaceutically acceptable compositions.

The compositions and compounds of the invention and the pharmaceuticallyacceptable salts thereof can be administered in any effective way suchas via oral, parenteral or topical routes. Generally, the compounds areadministered in dosages ranging from about 2 mg up to about 2,000 mg perday, although variations will necessarily occur depending on the diseasetarget, the patient, and the route of administration. Preferred dosagesare administered orally or intravenously in the range of about 0.05mg/kg to about 20 mg/kg, more preferably in the range of about 0.05mg/kg to about 2 mg/kg, most preferably in the range of about 0.05 mg/kgto about 0.2 mg per kg of body weight per day.

In one embodiment, the invention provides the subject compounds combinedwith a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient such as sterile saline orother medium, water, gelatin, an oil, etc. to form pharmaceuticallyacceptable compositions. The compositions and/or compounds may beadministered alone or in combination with any convenient carrier,diluent, etc. and such administration may be provided in single ormultiple dosages. Useful carriers include solid, semi-solid or liquidmedia including water and non-toxic organic solvents.

In another embodiment, the invention provides the subject compounds inthe form of a pro-drug, which can be metabolically converted to thesubject compound by the recipient host. A wide variety of pro-drugformulations are known in the art.

The compositions may be provided in any convenient form includingtablets, capsules, lozenges, troches, hard candies, powders, sprays,creams, suppositories, etc. As such the compositions, inpharmaceutically acceptable dosage units or in bulk, may be incorporatedinto a wide variety of containers. For example, dosage units may beincluded in a variety of containers including capsules, pills, etc.

The compositions may be advantageously combined and/or used incombination with other hypocholesterolemic or antiproliferativetherapeutic or prophylactic agents, different from the subjectcompounds. In many instances, administration in conjunction with thesubject compositions enhances the efficacy of such agents. Exemplaryantiproliferative agents include cyclophosphamide, methotrexate,adriamycin, cisplatin, daunomycin, vincristine, vinblastine,vinarelbine, paclitaxel, docetaxel, tamoxifen, flutamide, hydroxyurea,and mixtures thereof. Exemplary hypocholesterolemic and/or hypolipemicagents include: bile acid sequestrants such as quaternary amines (e.g.cholestyramine and colestipol); nicotinic acid and its derivatives;HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors such as mevastatin, pravastatin, andsimvastatin; gernfibrozil and other fibric acids, such as clofibrate,fenofibrate, benzafibrate and cipofibrate; probucol; raloxifene and itsderivatives; and mixtures thereof.

The compounds and compositions also find use in a variety of in vitroand in vivo assays, including diagnostic assays. For example, variousallotypic LDL receptor gene expression processes may be distinguished insensitivity assays with the subject compounds and compositions, orpanels thereof. In certain assays and in in vivo distribution studies,it is desirable to used labeled versions of the subject compounds andcompositions, e.g. radioligand displacement assays. Accordingly, theinvention provides the subject compounds and compositions comprising adetectable label, which may be spectroscopic (e.g. fluorescent),radioactive, etc.

The following examples are offered by way of illustration and not by wayof limitation.

EXAMPLES

¹H-NMR spectra were recorded on a Varian Gemini 400 MHz NMRspectrometer. Significant peaks are tabulated in the order: multiplicity(s, singlet; d, doublet; t, triplet; q, quartet; m, multiplet; br s,broad singlet), coupling constant(s) in Hertz and number of protons.Electron Ionization (El) mass spectra were recorded on a Hewlett Packard5989A mass spectrometer. Mass spectrometry results are reported as theratio of mass over charge, followed by the relative abundance of eachion (in parentheses).

Examples 1–4 provide the synthesis of certain useful intermediates. Theremaining examples provide the preparation ofpentafluorophenylsulfonamidobenzene ureas. One of skill in the art willappreciate that similar reaction schemes can be used to prepare thecorresponding 2,3,4,5-tetrafluorophenylsulfonamidobenzene,3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylsulfonamidobenzene, and3-methoxy-4,5-methylenedioxyphenylsulfonamidobenzene derivatives.Preparation of the starting anilines for each of those series can beproduced by reduction of the corresponding nitro-containingsulfonanilide compounds, similar to the process described in Example 3.These nitro compounds are obtained by reaction of the appropriatearylsulfonyl chlorides (described in co-pending applications Ser. Nos.08/917,025 and 08/896,827) with the appropriate nitroanilines (known inthe chemical literature).

Example 1

This example illustrates the preparation of intermediate4-methoxy-3-nitroaniline.

4-Methoxy-3-nitroaniline

To a 1M solution of 3-nitro-4-fluoroaniline (16.7 g, 107 mmol, fromAldrich Chemical Co., Milwaukee, Wis., USA) in anhydrous methanol atambient temperature was added sodium methoxide (23.1 g, 428 mmol) andthe resulting solution was refluxed with stirring for 21 hours. Thereaction mixture was then cooled to 0° C. and a 12M solution of HCl(13.4 mL) was added dropwise followed by water (250 mL). The crudemixture was extracted three times with Et₂O (200 mL). The organic layerswere combined, washed with brine (300 mL), dried over Na₂SO₄, andconcentrated under vacuum to yield 17.5g (97%) of product as a darkbrown solid, which was used without further purification. ¹H NMR(400MHz, DMSO-d₆) δ 7.09 (d, J=9Hz, 1H), 7.01 (dd, J=2.8, 1.3Hz, 1H),6.85 (ddd, J=9, 2.8, 1.4Hz, 1H), 5.2 (s, 2H), 3.75 (s, 3H).

Example 2

This example illustrates the synthesis of intermediate2-nitro-4-pentafluoro-phenylsulfonamidoanisole.

2-Nitro-4-pentafluorophenylsulfonamidoanisole

To a 0.4 M solution of 4-methoxy-3-nitroaniline (17.5 g, 104 rimol,prepared in Example 1), in anhydrous methanol was added dropwisepentafluorophenylsulfonyl chloride (7.7 mL, 52 mmol, from AldrichChemical Co.) and the resulting mixture was stirred at ambienttemperature for 1 hour. The reaction mixture was concentrated undervacuum and purified by column chromatography (10–30% EtOAc in hexane) toyield 18.1 g (87%) of the title compound as an orange solid, mp 95–97°C. ¹H NMR (400MHz, CDCl₃) δ 7.64 (d, J=2.7Hz, 1H), 7.51 (dd, J=9, 2.7Hz,1H), 7.09 (d, J=9.0Hz, 1H), 3.95 (s, 3H). MS (EI): m/z 817 (30,2M+Na-2H), 398 (30, M+), 397 (100, M−H).

Example 3

This example illustrates the preparation of intermediate2-methoxy-5-pentafluorophenylsulfonamidoaniline.

2-methoxy-5-pentafluorophenylsulfonamidoaniline

To a 0.1 5M solution of 2-nitro-4-pentafluorophenylsulfonamidoanisole(18.1 g, 45.5 rnnol, prepared in Example 2), in 100% anhydrous ethanolwas added 10% Pd/C (4.84 g, 4.55 mmol). Hydrogen gas was bubbled throughthe solution for 1 min and the resulting mixture was stirred for 24 hunder 1 atmosphere of hydrogen. The crude reaction mixture was filteredthrough a pad of Celite and the filter pad was washed with ethanol (500mL). The filtrate and wash were combined and concentrated under vacuumto yield 16.5 g (99%) of product as an off white solid which was usedwithout further purification, mp 142–143° C. ¹H NMR (400MHz, DMSO-d₆) δ10.64 (s, 1H), 6.68 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 6.44 (d, J=2.1 Hz, 1H), 6.3 (dd,J=8.4, 2.1 Hz, 1H), 4.88 (bs, 2H), 3.69 (s, 3H). MS(EI): m/z 369 (100,M+H).

Example 4

This example illustrate the preparation of intermediate3-methylamino-4-methoxy-1-pentafluorophenylsulfonamidobenzene.

3-Methylamino-4-methoxy-1-pentafluorophenylsulfonamidobenzene

To a 0.5M solution of 2-formamido-4-nitroanisole (745 mg, 3.8 mmol) indioxane was added sodium borohydride (722 mg, 19 mmol) followed bydropwise addition of glacial acetic acid (1.09 mL, 19 mmol). Thereaction mixture was refluxed for 40 minutes, then cooled to 0° C. andquenched slowly with MeOH. Excess MeOH was then added and the solutionwas concentrated under vacuum to yield 2-methylamino-4-nitroanisole. Thecrude product was dissolved in anhydrous MeOH (20 mL) and Pd/C (795 mg,0.76 mmol) was added followed by bubbling hydrogen gas through thesolution for 1 minute. The reaction mixture was then stirred for 1.5 hunder 1 atmosphere of hydrogen. The reaction mixture was filteredthrough a pad of Celite and the filter pad was washed with MeOH (40 mL).To the combined filtrate and wash was added pentafluorophenylsulfonylchloride (282 mL, 0.26 mmol). After stirring for 30 min the reactionmixture was concentrated under vacuum and purified by columnchromatography (10–25% EtOAc in hexane) to yield 153 mg (21% for threesteps) of the title compound as a pale yellow solid. ¹H NMR (400MHz,DMSO-d₆) δ 10.7 (s, 1H), 6.68 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 6.3 (dd, J=8.3, 2.5 Hz,1H), 6.22 (d, J=2.2 Hz, 1H), 5.18 (bs, 1H), 3.7 (s, 3H), 2.6 (d, J=3 Hz,3H). MS(EI): m/z 785 (35, 2M+Na-2H), 382 (20, M+), 381 (100, M−H).

Example 5

Potassium cyanate (36 mg, 0.45 mmol) dissolved in deionized water (0.75mL) was added to 3 (150 mg, 0.41 mmol) dissolved in glacial acetic acid(3 mL). The cloudy reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for3 hours. The reaction mixture was poured into deionized water (50 mL)and extracted 3 times with ethyl acetate (25 mL). The combined organiclayers were washed with saturated NaHCO₃ and saturated brine. Thesolution was dried over MgSO₄, filtered, and concentrated under reducedpressure. The resultant white solid was recrystallized from hot ethylacetate/hexanes to give 5 (75 mg, 45%) as a white crystalline solid. mp226° C. ¹H NMR (CD₃CN): δ 8.73 (bs, 1H); 7.95 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H); 7.39(bs, 1H); 6.92–6.91 (m, 3H); 5.14 (bs, 2H); 3.83 (s, 3H). MS(ESI): m/z410.0 (M−H).

The potassium salt of 5 was prepared by suspending 5 in deionized waterand adding 1.0 equivalent of 1N KOH(aq). The mixture was shaken untilsolution was complete, then lyophilized to dryness. mp >250° C. ¹H NMR(D₂O): δ 7.12 (d, J=2.7 Hz, 1H) 6.96 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 1H); 6.76 (dd, J=2.7,8.8 Hz, 1H); 3.83 (s, 3H).

Example 6

Ethyl isocyanatoacetate (17 mL, 0.15 mmol) was added to 3 (50 mg, 0.13mmol) dissolved in chloroform (1.5 mL). The cloudy reaction mixture wasstirred at room temperature for 1 hour, at which point the reactionmixture had solidified. Acetone (2 mnL) and ethyl isocyanatoacetate (50mL, 0.45 mmol) were added and the now homogeneous reaction mixture washeated to 50° C. After 1.5 hours, solvents were removed under reducedpressure and the resultant residue directly purified by flashchromatography (silica gel, 40% to 60% ethyl acetate/hexanes). Fractionscontaining the desired product were concentrated and the residuerecrystallized from hot ethyl acetate/hexanes to give 6 (45 mg, 67%) asa white crystalline solid. mp 164–170° C. ¹H NMR (CD₃CN): δ 8.28 (bs,1H); 7.92 (d, J=2.6 Hz, 1H); 7.45 (bs, 1H); 6.92 (d, J=8.7 Hz, 1H); 6.80(dd, J=8.6, 2.6 Hz, 1H); 5.85 (bt, J=5.2 Hz, 1H); 4.15 (q, J=7.1 Hz,2H); 3.86 (d, J=5.8 Hz, 2H); 3.84 (s, 3H); 1.24 (t, J=7.1 Hz, 3H).MS(ESI): m/z 496.0 (M−H).

Example 7

To a 25 mL round-bottom flask was added 204 mg (0.55 mmol) of 3 and 2.0mL of dry THF. The mixture was stirred until the solid dissolved andthen the flask was cooled to 0ÿC in an ice-water bath. Solid triphosgene(54 mg, 0.18 mmol) was added to the mixture over a period of two minutesand the mixture was allowed to stir for an additional five minutes. Then154 μL (112 mg, 1.11 mmol) of triethylamine was added dropwise (themixture turned a cloudy, white color). The reaction mixture was thenwarmed to room temperature and stirred for 15 minutes. After coolingback down to 0ÿC, a solution of 46 mg (0.55 nunol) of 3-aminopyrazole in2.0 mL of dry THF was added dropwise. The reaction mixture was onceagain heated to room temperature and was stirred for three hours.

The crude mixture was poured into 5 mL of 1N HCl and was extracted withthree 20 mL volumes of ethyl acetate. The combined organics were washedwith brine, dried over MgSO₄ and concentrated in vacuo to give anoff-white solid. This was purified by silica gel flash chromatography(1:3 ethyl acetate:hexanes). The resulting white solid wasrecrystallized from ethyl acetate and hexanes to yield 172 mg (65%) ofwhite crystals. mp 140–144° C. MS(ESI): m/z 476.0 (M−H). ¹H NMR(DMSO-d₆): δ 3.84 (s, 3H); 5.36 (d, J=1.2 Hz, 1H); 6.51 (s, 2H); 6.90(dd, J₁=6.6 Hz, J₂=1.7 Hz, 1H). 7.05 (d, J=6.6 Hz, 1H); 7.41 (s, 1H);7.92 (d, J=1.7 Hz); 9.53 (s, 1H); 11.01 (s, 1 H). ES MS (M−H)⁻ theory476.0; observed 476.0. Anal. calcd. for C₁₇H₁₂F₅N₅O₄S: C42.77, H 2.53, N14.67. Found: C43.05, H 2.48, N 14.47.

Example 8

To a 25 mL round-bottom flask was added 206 mg (0.56 mmol) of 3 and 2.0mL of dry THF. The mixture was stirred until the solid dissolved andthen the flask was cooled to 0° C. in an ice-water bath. Solidtriphosgene (55 mg, 0.19 mmol) was added to the mixture over a period oftwo minutes and the mixture was allowed to stir for an additional fiveminutes. Then 78 μL (57 mg, 1.12 mimol) of triethylamine was addeddropwise (the mixture turned a cloudy, white color). The reactionmixture was then warmed to room temperature and stirred for 15 minutes.After cooling back down to 0° C., a solution of 55 mg (0.56 mmol) of2-furfurylamine in 2.0 mL of dry THF was added dropwise. The reactionmixture was once again heated to room temperature and was stirred fortwo hours.

The crude mixture was poured into 5 mL of 1N HCl and was extracted withthree 20 mL volumes of ethyl acetate. The combined organics were washedwith brine, dried over MgSO₄ and concentrated in vacuo to give a clearoil. This oil was purified by silica gel flash chromatography (1:1 ethylacetate:hexanes). The resulting white solid was triturated in methanoland collected by filtration to yield 234 mg (85%) of 8 as a whitepowder. mp 208° C. ¹H NMR (DMSO-d₆): δ 3.77 (s, 3H); 4.23 (d, J=4.2 Hz,2H); 6.23 (d, J=2.3 Hz, 1H); 6.38 (dd, J₁=2.3 Hz, J₂=1.4 Hz, 1H); 6.68(dd, J₁=5.4 Hz, J₂=2.0 Hz, 1H); 6.88 (d, J=6.6 Hz, 1H); 7.24 (m, 1H);7.57 (t, J=0.6 Hz, 1H); 7.87 (d, J=1.9 Hz, 1H); 8.00 (s, 1H); 10.75 (s,1H). MS(ESI): 490.0 (M−H). Anal. Calcd. for C₁₉H₁₄F₅N₃O₅S: C46.44, H2.87, N 8.55. Found: C46.64, H 2.89, N 8.52.

Example 9

This example illustrates an alternative synthesis of compound 5.

9.1 Formylation of 2-methoxy-5-nitroaniline

Formic acid (45 mL-of 98%, 1.2 mol) was added dropwise to aceticanhydride (100 mL, 1.05 mol) at 0° C. over 15 minutes. The mixture washeated to 45–50° C. for 30 minutes, then cooled to 0° C. Anhydrous THF(100 nlL) was then added to the reaction mixture.2-Methoxy-5-nitroaniline (63 g, 375 mmol, TCl America) dissolved inanhydrous THF (200 mL) was added by addition funnel over 30 minutes. Theorange/red color of the starting material instantly disappeared uponaddition to the reaction mixture and a pale yellow solid slowlyprecipitated during the course of the addition. The addition finnel wasrinsed with 50 mL of anhydrous THF. After the addition was complete, thereaction mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature over 30minutes. The pale yellow precipitate was collected by filtration. Thefiltrate was then concentrated, triturated with ether, and the solidagain collected by filtration. After drying under high vacuum, 70.4 g(96%) of formamide 9.2 was obtained.

¹H NMR (CD₃COCD₃): δ 9.34 (bs, 1H); 8.55 (s, 1H); 8.03 (dd, J=2.8, 9.1Hz, 1H); 7.26 (d, J=9.1 Hz, 1H); 4.07 (s, 3H). MS (ESI): m/z 197.1(MH⁺), 219.1 (MNa⁺), 337 (2[MNa⁺]−H).

9.2 Reduction of 9.2

A 500 mL 3-neck flask was charged with 10 g of formamide 9.2 and 1 g of3% Pd on carbon catalyst. The mixture was suspended in 100 mL of MeOH,and placed under an atmosphere of hydrogen (balloon pressure). Afterstirring vigorously for 4 h, TLC demonstrated consumption of thestarting material. The reaction mixture was filtered and the residuewashed 3 times with 100 mL of hot acetone to ensure complete dissolutionof the product. The filtrate was concentrated, triturated with acetone,and the product collected by filtration. After drying under high vacuum,7.51 g (88%) of aniline 9.3 was obtained.

¹H NMR (CD₃COCD₃): δ 8.72 (bs, 1H); 8.39 (s, 1H); 7.78 (s, 1H); 6.73 (d,J=8 Hz, 1H); 7.26 (dd, J=2, 8 Hz, 1H); 4.28 (bs, 2H); 3.73 (s, 3H). MS(ESI): m/z 167.1 (MH⁺), 189.1 (MNa⁺).

9.3 Sulfonylation of 9.3

Aniline 9.3 (44.6 g, 268 ummol) and 2,6-lutidine (32.8 mL, 282 mmol)were dissolved in 800 mL of acetone (the aniline only partly dissolved).An addition funnel was charged with C₆F₅SO₂Cl (41.8 mL, 282 mmol) andthe sulfonyl chloride was added over 15 minutes. During the addition,the starting material dissolved and a new precipitate (2,6-lutidinehydrochloride) formed. After 30 minutes, the 2,6-lutidine hydrochloridewas removed by filtration and the filtrate concentrated under reducedpressure. The brown oily solid so produced was triturated with CH₂Cl₂and the solid collected. A second batch of product was obtained byrepeating the concentration, trituration, and filtration. After dryingunder high vacuum, 95.5 g (90%) of sulfonamide 9.4 was obtained as apale yellow solid.

¹H NMR (CD₃COCD₃): δ 9.55 (bs, 1H); 9.01 (bs, 1H); 8.39 (s, 1H); 8.17(d, J=2.6 Hz, 1H); 7.06 (dd, J=2.6, 8.8 Hz, 1H); 6.99 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 1H);3.86 (s, 3H). MS (ESI): m/z 395.0 (M−H), 812.9 (2[M−H]+Na).

9.4 Removal offormyl group from 9.4

Acetyl chloride (18.8 mL, 265 mmol) was carefully added to absoluteethanol (360 mL). The mixture grew very warm (˜60° C.). After allowingthe solution of ethanolic HCl to cool to room temperature, a suspensionof sulfonamide 9.4 (95.4g, 241 mmol) in 360 mL of absolute ethanol wasadded. An additional 280 mL of absolute ethanol was used to rinse allthe starting material into the reaction mixture. All solids dissolvedwithin 2.5 hours. After 20 h, the reaction mixture was concentratedunder reduced pressure to ˜100 mL total volume. The white precipitatewas collected by filtration, then rinsed sequentially with ethanol andhexanes. The filtrate was again concentrated and the precipitatecollected and rinsed. After drying under high vacuum, 103.6 g (95%) ofsulfonamide 9.5 (as the hydrochloride salt with one ethanol ofsalvation) was obtained as fine white crystals.

¹H NMR (CD₃OD): δ 7.40 (d, J=2.4 Hz, 1H); 7.15–7.21 (m, 2H); 4.85 (bs,5H); 3.94 (s, 3H); 3.60 (q, J=7.0 Hz, 2H); 1.18 (t, J=7.0 Hz, 3H). MS(ESI): m/z 369.0 (MH⁺).

9.5 Conversion of 9.5 to 5

Potassium cyanate (1.72 g, 21 mmol) dissolved in deionized water (7 mL)was added to sulfonamide 9.5 (7.13 g, 19.4 mmol) dissolved in glacialacetic acid (70 mL) and water (10 mL) at 0° C. The cloudy reactionmixture was stirred for 2 hours. The reaction mixture was poured intodeionized water (300 mL) and the white precipitate was collected byfiltration. After drying under a stream of air, the product wasdissolved in hot EtOAc (400 mL) and the solution was heated to reflux.Ethyl acetate was distilled out of the flask until a very slightcloudiness was noted in the solution. The solution was allowed to coolto room temperature then placed in a refrigerator for 16 h. Whitecrystals were collected by filtration, rinsed with hexanes, and driedunder high vacuum to yield 7.33 g of 5. (NMR analysis shows that thesecrystals are ˜20% by weight ethyl acetate even after drying under highvacuum. Additional amounts of 5 can be recovered by concentrating themother liquor and repeating the crystallization process).

¹H NMR (CD₃OD): δ 7.82 (s, 1H); 6.88 (s, 2H); 7.39 (bs, 1H); 3.85 (s,3H). MS (ESI): m/z 410.0 (M−H).

9.6 Preparation of the sodium salt of 5

Compound 5 (1.0 g, 2.41 mmol) was suspended in deionized water (10 mL).Sodium hydroxide solution (2.51 M, 1.0 mL, 2.5 nunol) was added dropwisewith vigorous stirring. Additional NaOH solution was added dropwiseuntil the pH of the medium was ˜10.5 and all solids had dissolved. Theaqueous solution of compound 5 sodium salt was filtered to remove a verysmall amount of insoluble material. The solution was then saturated withNaCl. After 10 minutes, the precipitate of compound 5, sodium salt wascollected and washed with saturated brine. The collected solid was driedunder a stream of air for 5 minutes, then acetone was added to dissolvethe sodium salt of compound 5. The solution was filtered (leaving behindexcess NaCl) and the residue was washed with acetone. The acetonesolution was filtered a second time, then concentrated under reducedpressure. The residue was dissolved in hot acetone, and sufficienthexanes added until a very slight cloudiness was seen. On cooling, thetitle compound crystallized. The precipitate was collected, rinsed withhexanes, and dried under high vacuum to give 0.73g (70%) of compound 5,sodium salt as white crystals.

¹H NMR (D₂O): δ 7.14 (d, J=2.6 Hz, 1H); 6.93 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 1H); 6.74(dd, J=2.5, 8.7 Hz, 1H); 3.80 (s, 3H). MS (ESI): m/z 410.0 (M−H)

Example 10

Assessment of Biological Activity

The ability of test compounds to arrest the growth of tumor cells inculture was evaluated using HeLa cells, derived from a human cervicaladenocarcinoma, and obtained from the American Type Culture Collection(ATCC, Rockville, Md.). Cells were grown in culture in the usual way.Test compounds were dosed in triplicate at concentrations ranging from 5μM to 50 μM, and the cellular growth rate was calculated by harvestingthe cells after 72 hours of treatment and measuring their metabolicactivity using an Alamar Blue assay (Biosource International, Camarillo,Calif.). The degree of metabolic activity in the culture is proportionalto the number of living cells. See, Ahmed et al., J. Immunol. Methods1994, 170, 211. The change in growth rate for cells treated with testcompounds was normalized to the growth of untreated cells and a plot ofnormalized cellular growth vs. compound concentration was made. Theconcentration at which total growth inhibition (TGI) occurred wasdetermined. Compounds were similarly evaluated for cell growthinhibition using MCF-7/ ADR cells.

TABLE 1 Arylsulfonanilide Ureas

MCF-7/ Compound R HeLa TGI ADR TGI 5

+++ +++ 6

+ + 7

+++ +++ 8

+++ +++ 9

++ ++ 10

++ ++ 11

+ + 12

+ + 13

++ + 14

++ + 15

+ + 16

++ + 17

+ + 18

+++ +++ 19

+++ ++ 20

++ ++ 21

++ + +++: TGI < 5; ++: TGI 5 to 40; +: TGI > 40 (μM)

All publications and patent applications cited in this specification areherein incorporated by reference as if each individual publication orpatent application were specifically and individually indicated to beincorporated by reference. Although the foregoing invention has beendescribed in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposesof clarity of understanding, it will be readily apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art in light of the teachings of this inventionthat certain changes and modifications may be made thereto withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the appended claims.

1. A compound having the formula:

or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein X is a memberselected from the group consisting of O, S and NH; R¹ and R² are eachmembers independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen,(C₁–C₆)alkyl and (C₁–C₆)heteroalkyl; R³ is a member selected from thegroup consisting of hydrogen, (C₁–C₆)alkyl and (C₁–C₆)heteroalkyl, or iscombined with Y and the nitrogen atom to which each is attached to forma 5-, 6- or 7-membered heterocyclic ring; R⁴ is a member selected fromthe group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, (C₁–C₈)alkyl,(C₁–C₈)heteroalkyl, —OR¹¹, —SR¹¹ and —NR¹¹ R¹², wherein R¹¹ and R¹² areeach independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen,(C₁–C₈)alkyl and (C₁–C₈)heteroalkyl; Y is a member selected from thegroup consisting of hydrogen, a heterocyclic ring, (C₁–C₈)alkyl,(C₁–C₈)heteroalkyl, aryl, aryl(C₁–C₄)alkyl, aryl(C₁–C₄)heteroalkyl,heterocyclyl(C₁–C₄)alkyl and heterocyclyl(C₁–C₄)heteroalkyl, or isoptionally linked together with R³ to form a 5-, 6- or 7-memberedheterocyclic ring; and Ar is a member selected from the group consistingof:

wherein X¹ and X² are each independently selected from the groupconsisting of F, Cl and Br.
 2. A compound of claim 1, wherein X is O. 3.A compound of claim 1, wherein Y is selected from the group consistingof 2-thiazolyl, 1,2,4-triazolyl, 1,3,4-thiadiazolyl, pyrazolyl,1,2,3,4-tetrazolyl, imidazolyl, oxazolyl and 1,2,3-triazolyl.
 4. Acompound of claim 1, wherein R¹, R² and R³ are each hydrogen and R⁴ is(C₁–C₃)alkoxy.
 5. A compound of claim 1, wherein R¹ and R² are eachhydrogen and Y is combined with R³ and the nitrogen atom to which eachis attached to form a 5- or 6-membered heterocycle.
 6. A compound ofclaim 1, wherein Ar is pentafluorophenyl.
 7. A pharmaceuticalcomposition comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient and acompound having the formula:

or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein X is a memberselected from the group consisting of O, S and NH; R¹ and R² are eachmembers independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen,(C₁–C₆)alkyl and (C₁–C₆)heteroalkyl; R³ is a member selected from thegroup consisting of hydrogen, (C₁–C₆)alkyl and (C₁–C₆)heteroalkyl, or iscombined with Y and the nitrogen atom to which each is attached to forma 5-, 6- or 7-membered heterocyclic ring; R⁴ is a member selected fromthe group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, (C₁–C₈)alkyl,(C₁–C₈)heteroalkyl, —OR¹¹, —SR¹¹ and —NR¹¹R¹², wherein R¹¹ and R¹² areeach independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen,(C₁–C₈)alkyl and (C₁–C₈)heteroalkyl; Y is a member selected from thegroup consisting of hydrogen, a heterocyclic ring, (C₁–C₈)alkyl,(C₁–C₈)heteroalkyl, aryl, aryl(C₁–C₄)alkyl, aryl(C₁–C₄)heteroalkyl,heterocyclyl(C₁–C₄)alkyl and heterocyclyl(C₁–C₄)heteroalkyl, or isoptionally linked together with R³ to form a 5-, 6- or 7-memberedheterocyclic ring; and Ar is a member selected from the group consistingof:

wherein X¹ and X² are each independently selected from the groupconsisting of F, Cl and Br.